‘I Did Not See It Coming’: New York Waitress Left ’Shocked’ by Action of Loyal Customer

It left her astonished.

"I did not see it coming," New York City waitress Maureen Donohue-Peters said Tuesday, according to CNN. "Shocked when I got the call."

That was Donohue-Peters' reaction to learning that a longtime customer had left her a large tip in his will — $50,000 to be exact.

"He was more than a customer," Donohue-Peters said. "He was a dear friend of mine."

The gift was from prominent art dealer Robert Ellsworth who died in August at the age of 85. He was a regular at Donohue's, the steakhouse Donohue-Peters owns and waits tables at. She said that the multi-millionaire also left her niece, who serves customers once a week, a $50,000 tip as well.

However, despite the grand gesture, Donohue-Peters says she would "prefer to have the man here instead of that."

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